Flurries and Ice
by MS
Summary: SxS, AU... Sakura could feel the ice as she slid it, her arms flaying in all directions as gravity pulled her down. She opened her eyes, encased in someone's embrace, staring into the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen in her life. OneShot


MS

This is a one-shot that was inspired by snow. It's incredibly short… and with no plot whatsoever. Hopefully I'll try not to add any plot along the way so that it will remain a one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the card captor Sakura characters, Clamp does… everything else comes from my imagination.

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**Flurries and Ice**

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It was the start of February. Sakura shivered uncontrollably as she closed the car door, checked that they keys were in her pocket, and placed the backpack over her shoulders. It was currently bellow 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind-chill brought it closer to zero.

There was nothing in the world that could actually cover your body from the wind. It permeated through your clothes and branded your skin. She felt naked as she zipped her coat to the hilt, the top covering part of her chin.

She increased her footsteps, silently pleading that the light cross would be green. It was one thing to freeze to death while walking, and another thing entirely when it happened while you were just standing.

Her prayer had been answered. All she needed to do now was walk as fast as she could to enter the building that would be her haven.

Her mind already wondering over her class, she slipped over a patch of snow that remained from the past few days. Her eyes widened, a squeal escaping her opened lips as she flayed her arms wildly.

She'd been going too fast, she rationalized as she felt herself falling backwards in slow motion. If she'd been paying attention to where she was stepping, she wouldn't fall and probably maim a part of her body that would take days to recover from.

She heard a grunt from behind. She remained still as she felt the arms that were currently gripping her own. Her backpack had slid from her shoulder to her arm, weighting her down.

Sakura was sure her heart's erratic beating was going to do her in. She opened her eyes, finding herself encased in an embrace by her savior, and couldn't help but stare into the stranger's eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Their breaths commingled as they stayed in that position.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment as she realized that he could not let go until she tried to step off the ice. He'd been waiting for her to move so he could unlock her from his arms.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly as she tried to recover her footing.

"No problem," the low reply filtered through a scarf that was tightly wound around the person's neck.

Sakura looked up, and up as she turned to her savior while they booth straightened. He was certainly tall. But then, she was abnormally short in her standards. Curse her mother's family genetics.

It infuriated her to no end that she remained stuck at five feet and barely five inches while her father and brother were over the six foot range. This guy was close to her brother's height. One might say that she had a complex over tall guys, but she could definitely break it for this one. She wouldn't mind having to leap into his arms like an acrobat to place a kiss upon those rosy lips.

She couldn't help but stare again. She was caught in his gaze, those brown eyes robbing her of speech. He helped her move from the bad patch toward a more stable ground over the stairwell before giving her an amicable smile and continuing on his way.

She couldn't help but keep on staring at his back. Unlike the rest of his body, his head was completely uncovered. His hair was brown and dark, bangs dispersing from each corner of his cranium to form a protective shield against the elements.

Sakura turned to the side, her mind still seeing his profile. He was one of the most gorgeous guys she had ever seen in her life.

* * *

Syaoran cranked his neck from side to side. It was barely thirty minutes before the test had started and he was already done. It was a good thing that this class wasn't at eight in the morning and he had been able to catch a good night's sleep.

He placed his pencil inside his book bag; made sure he'd placed all of his personal information in the appropriate places and handed his sheets to the smiling professor.

He let out a breath of relief as he stepped out of the classroom. The first one of the three tests was over and done with. He'd studied though, so he didn't need to be concerned over his answers.

He stopped before the door that lead out of the building, as he placed on his gloves and tightened his scarf around his neck.

He stepped out, marveling over the light flurries that came down at an incredible speed. He hadn't heard anything about snow for today. In the short time that he'd been inside, around half an inch of the substance had fallen from the sky.

His condensed breath collected against his scarf, warming his cooling neck. He rubbed his hands, moving them into his pockets for an extra protection against the cold.

He needed to get something to eat. There was a gap of two hours since he finished the test early until his next class. Might as well fill his belly and remain content in a warm atmosphere for the remainder of his time.

There were a group of students before him. He needed to slow his pace to their shorter strides. His eyes centered on the figure in his line of vision. That backpack seemed familiar.

He pondered over the design as they parted. He turned to the left for the cafeteria while the group continued forward to the main lot. He knew he'd seen it recently. There was no other way that he would feel so familiar with it.

He breathed in the warm and chatty atmosphere. His stomach growled as his senses took in the aroma of food that had just been popped out of the oven.

Syaoran sat at a corner, a tray over the small table. His attention was once again grabbed by the falling snow. It was increasing, a heavy volume accumulating over the ground.

It was a sight to see. It didn't matter that he would probably have the worst trek in this semester to get to his apartment, but the beauty of nature was something that couldn't be denied.

Snow. Slipping. Girl.

Those popped into his head as he popped the first fry into his mouth. That's what he had been trying to recall when he saw that backpack.

The girl he had helped this morning had the same one. He tried to recall a bit of her face, knowing that he had been totally immersed on the upcoming test and not really paying attention to the surroundings. He was sure that his mind had registered something as she had stared into his soul.

Even if just for a few seconds, he'd been caught by her stare. More details returned to him as he continued on with his own musings. She'd been short. He was probably a foot and a few inches taller than her. Such a small little thing had the voice of an angel.

Hopefully she wouldn't be in need of another rescuer anytime soon.

* * *

She couldn't believe it had happened again. And on the same day too. Thankfully it hadn't been on the same spot or Sakura would have done something drastic to herself.

She'd been walking through the fallen snow that had just accumulated while she finished her last class for the day when she felt her foot slip over a patch of ice that was underneath.

It was a good thing that there had been a rail to hold onto, or she would have made a spectacle of herself for all the other people in the university to see. Still, it was too much.

It was too cold to take the time to step little by little over the surface of the walkways. She would most likely freeze on her way if she tried to be cautious.

She was going to be more careful though. It was a new day.

She looked to the spot, grimacing as she stepped to the side, avoiding providence. Relieved that a warm haven was near, she sidestepped, extending her arm to reach for the door.

She should have known better than to have tempted fate.

A hand clasped her backpack from behind. Sakura couldn't help but let the sense of déjà vu take over her. It felt exactly the same.

"Thank you," she turned to the figure as it reached for the door and opened it for her. Her eyes widened her expression incredulous as her mind registered the face.

It was him.

"Twice in one week," Syaoran chuckled as he opened the second door to the girl he'd come to the rescue again. "That must be fate."

"Most likely," was her response when she was able to catch her erratic breaths.

She hadn't been able to get him out of her mind for the past two days. It hadn't helped that every time she'd looked at the snow, she had recalled the incident when he had helped her.

"You must be attracted to all of the ice patches," Syaoran said, while his smiling face revealed his kidding tone. He'd been right. She was short of stature. He had to look down, his neck at an angle he'd normally never use to remain in conversation with a person. But, he wouldn't mind it in any way. It was no trouble so watch and observe such a beautiful girl.

Sakura's mind raced as the word attracted brought her out of her musings. There must be something about the guy. She'd never felt the need to stare into a guy's face just to study all of its subtleties. There must be something wrong with her.

Syaoran sighed as he took her silence as a sign of awkwardness. It was kind of imposing to strike a conversation with a complete stranger.

Still, he could feel a pull inside him. Something possessed inside of his body wanted to place his hand under her jaw so that he could stare into those emerald eyes until he was blind.

That was the first thing he'd noticed. She had eyes with an emerald tint. They contrasted against her light brown hair, the tips of which framed to side of her cheeks.

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" Sakura finally offered as she saw him turn away. Her mind finally registered the fact that he was smiling at her, waiting for some type of admission of his presence. "We might be able to warm ourselves after a cup or two."

Syaoran couldn't help but smile as he professed a hand out and Sakura preceded him. "I'd appreciate it."

"No problem," she replied. "It's the least I could do."

"Thank you," he tried to get her to say her name so that they could be introduced to one another.

"I'm Sakura," she amended apologetically, extending a hand. She blushed, knowing that she had let the silence stretch a bit more than what would have granted a response. "Sakura Kinomoto."

"I'm Syaoran Li." Syaoran took her professed hand, his fingers resting over her pulse as they shook. She had the softest hands he'd ever touched in his life.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura gave him a cup as they prepared their own special brew. It was a silent moment as the rest of the students filled the atmosphere with their smiles and conversations.

"Do you have a class right now?" Sakura asked as she looked over the tables for a place to sit.

"Not for another hour," Syaoran answered as he pointed to an empty one by the window to which she nodded in ascent.

"Me neither," Sakura sat before him, her hands getting warmer as the coffee's smell filled the room.

They quietly sipped their coffee, their legs stretching and their eyes taking in each other, as well as their surroundings.

Sakura had never felt so comfortable to let silence reign over with someone in her company. She could just observe him, over the rim of her cup as time slowly crept by.

"This is the first year that I've seen such an aggressive winter in here," Syaoran started the conversation, watching as light flurries started to come from the sky. According to the weather, it was just going to be a light haze, and then it would be absent for the rest of the week.

"It's been many years since we've had a storm like this," Sakura informed him as she followed his gaze.

She shivered as he turned his attention to her once again. His eyes bore down and deep into hers, the world around her falling into darkness as it disappeared from her senses.

"Falling snow is one of nature's most beautiful acts," Sakura agreed to the statement. There was nothing that could be said over the marvel that covered the world with its white blanket as the winter months advanced.

"Winter's my favorite season overall because of it," Sakura admitted as she was able to look away from Syaoran's gaze. Her hands started to fiddle with a sugar packet that was on the table to occupy her hands. She was sure that she was blushing scarlet. She could feel the warm that kept on creeping to her cheekbones. She had no idea as to whatever had possessed her to say that aloud.

"Mine too," Syaoran grinned, his own cheeks glowing with a tinted pink hue.

There they sat, smiling shyly to one another in silence as the light snow continued to fall.

And there, a friendship was born. Only time would tell what would rise from there.

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**_End _**

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What did you think? It kind of has the same feel of Time Management to me. Sorry for its length, but it was never designed to be more than a 2000 word one shot. The part about slipping twice in one day is actually from personal experience. I would have loved to have my own Syaoran to catch me, but hey, those are the breaks of real life. ; ) ...

Thank you for reading it, leave a comment with your thoughts if you like.

No matter where they are, Syaoran and Sakura are destined to meet.

MS

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